Reading rank 419
Why to Start a Startup in a Bad Economy
, subject: Essay on starting startups during recessions, 2008
Paul Graham's essay argues that founder quality matters more than economic conditions, and that a cheaper startup is harder to kill.
8
Coverage Score
2
Scored evidence
About this work
Published during the 2008 financial crisis, the essay weighs tighter funding conditions against lower competition and argues that strong founders should act when they have the right idea and team.
Why read it
Best if You are treating a bad economy as the reason not to start a company and want Paul Graham's case for weighing founder quality and running costs instead.
Key themes
- Founders matter more than the economy
- Cheap to run, hard to kill
Evidence and original sources
Sources: official Founders episodes — #275, #277
This record is supported by 2 public evidence rows linked to original Founders episodes.
- Paul Graham — David draws the theme that founder quality matters more than economic conditions from this essay.
- Paul Graham's Essays Part 3 — David draws the essay's cash-efficiency lesson: the cheaper a startup is to run, the harder it is to kill.